Yonkers, NY

The Institute of Sacred Arts (ISA) has been leading choir workshops in parishes across the country.

Dr. Peter Bouteneff, director of the ISA, is leading these Zoom workshops free of charge, beginning with a ten-minute talk about the Institute. At each workshop, participants are then led in vocal training by Seminary alumni choir leaders such as Dr. Gregory Abdalah (’08, ’18), Zachariah Mandell (’20), and Phillip Ritchey (’20).

“Keeping voices active, keeping our breathing healthy, is a great boost to our physical, mental, and spiritual health, and keeps us in shape for the day when we can sing together in church again,” said Bouteneff.

Professor Bouteneff and the ISA have led five workshops so far, in California, Washington State, Kentucky, New York, and Connecticut, and are poised to do more. Parishes interested in scheduling a workshop are encouraged to email sacredarts@svots.edu for more information.

“Our institute has a strong academic component with symposia and publications, but the sacred arts touch us first and foremost in the parishes, in the Liturgy. We need to be deeply plugged in to the life of the Church!” added Dr. Bouteneff, who also directs the choir at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Yonkers, NY.

The Institute is looking to spread the word about its activities, receive input on its work, and enlarge its contact list to build its base of prayerful and material support. Soon, the ISA will also launch an M.A. degree track at St. Vladimir’s Seminary with a concentration in Sacred Arts. It will continue to organize symposia, integrate further into the Seminary’s curriculum, and host artists-in-residence at St. Vladimir’s.

The Institute is supported in part by the Henry Luce Foundation and by larger and smaller donations from people who are stirred by the arts and who understand their crucial role in the life of the Church, the praise of God, and the preaching of the faith.

In Memoriam

With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of renowned iconographer Maria Struve, who fell asleep in the Lord Friday, November 13 in France. She was 95.

Struve painted the icons in the old chapel of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, which was in use until 1983 when the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel was constructed. Many of those icons now adorn the walls of the current chapel.

Maria Struve’s iconography adorned the iconostasis and walls of the old chapel at St. Vladimir’s Seminary (photo: ca.1960s) 

Maria Alexandrovna Struve, née Elchaninov, was born in Russia in 1925. She was the daughter of Fr. Alexander Elchaninov (1881-1934), the author of Diary of a Russian Priest (SVS Press), and Matushka Tamara (née Levandovskaya, 1897-1981), who was also a skilled iconographer. Struve was among the Russian émigré community that settled in France in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917. She became a student of famous iconographers Leonid Ouspensky and Sister Joanna (Julia Reitlinger), and is responsible for the first icons of the first Russian Orthodox saints of France. Struve painted many icons and iconostases for individuals and churches in France, Switzerland, and the United States. She also assisted her husband, author and translator Nikita Alexeyevich Struve (+2016), in his editorial work. Her life was filled with blessed encounters with figures such as Fr. Sergius Bukgakov, St. Maria Skobtsova, and many others. 

Many of Struve’s icons, including these icons of Christ and the Theotokos, now adorn the walls of the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel.

Struve is survived by her children, Blandine, Mélanie, and Daniel, their spouses, and grandchildren.

May her memory be eternal!

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(Many details and Struve’s photo for this article were obtained from Orthodoxie.com)  

In Memoriam

The community of St. Vladimir’s Seminary is offering prayers and condolences after the falling asleep of His Holiness, Irinej (Gavrilovic). His Holiness, the archbishop of Pec, metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci, and patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, reposed in the Lord Friday morning in Belgrade after contracting COVID-19. His Holiness was 90 years old.

Patriarch Irinej at Three Hierarchs Chapel in 2015.

“We mourn with our beloved Serbian Orthodox brethren during this difficult time,” said St. Vladimir’s President Fr. Chad Hatfield. “We remember fondly Patriarch Irinej’s visit to the Seminary not long ago, when His Holiness beautifully reminded us of the close ties between St. Vladimir’s and the Serbian Orthodox Church. I remember so well the delight in his eyes when he was presented with a copy of the famous ‘Fond du Lac Circus’ photo, which includes the Serbian saint, Sebastian Dabovich. 

“May he rest in peace and rise in glory!"

The historic “Fond du Lac Circus” photo was presented to Patriarch Irinej on his visit to St. Vladimir’s in 2015.

On Patriarch Irinej’s visit to St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 2015, the Seminary’s Board of Trustees and Faculty bestowed upon His Holiness a Doctor of Divinity degree, honoris causa. The Patriarch then delivered an address, titled, “Theology as a Hope for the Future of the Church." During the visit, His Holiness also praised the members of the Serbian Orthodox community for their board service to St. Vladimir’s, including Trustee Emeritus Alex Machaskee, who was then serving as executive chair of the Board of Trustees.

The Board of Trustees and Faculty of St. Vladimir’s Seminary bestowed a Doctor of Divinity degree, honoris causa, upon His Holiness, Patriarch Irinej on September 11, 2015.

“A year ago last July my wife Carol and I were graciously received by Patriarch Irinej,” Machaskee recalled, after learning of his falling asleep. “His demeanor belied his age as we discussed Kosovo and other issues. His eyes always reflected the warmth and pleasant humor I remembered just a few years earlier when I had visited the Patriarch with an International Orthodox Christian Charities delegation. 

“May his memory be eternal!” 

His Holiness, Patriarch Irinej was born in the village of Vidova, near the town of Cacak, Serbia, on August 28, 1930. He led of life of faithful service to the Church, and he helped navigate the Serbian Church through a difficult time for the region in the early years of his patriarchal ministry. A biography of His Holiness is available to read on the website of the patriarchate.

May the memory of Patriarch Irinej be eternal!

In a Kansas City neighborhood that has suffered from generations of racism and poverty, Reconciliation Services offers an Orthodox Christian approach to healing.

Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) plans to contribute to that healing mission. This Giving Tuesday, December 1, SVOTS is teaming up with Reconciliation Services and its executive director, St. Vladimir’s Alumnus Fr. Justin Mathews (Class of ’07). 

Fr. Justin with community members at Reconciliation Services (Photo taken pre-pandemic)  

Every year, the Seminary selects a nonprofit partner for its Giving Tuesday fundraising campaign and tithes 10% of the funds raised that day to the nonprofit. Seminary leadership was moved by the work being carried out by Fr. Justin and his colleagues at Reconciliation Services, and was excited to partner with the organization for Giving Tuesday 2020.

“The love that he urges others to share goes a long way toward healing hearts broken by poverty and lives traumatized by violence,” said Seminary President Fr. Chad Hatfield.

(Fr. Justin at work) 

Affiliated with St. Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church, Reconciliation Services provides to clients—99% of whom live below the federal poverty line—medical, mental health and dental services, classes, and mentoring programs. Part of their outreach is Thelma’s Kitchen, located in the same neighborhood as the parish and the nonprofit, a gathering place for delicious meals served up to neighbors, program volunteers, staff, and church people who, based on their ability, pay what they can or chip in with kitchen duties. Partnerships have been formed not only with concerned individuals but also the local corporate community.

“We all need to share what we can to reduce the most extreme disparities and alleviate the suffering in our city,” said Fr. Justin.

• LISTEN: Fr. Justin Mathews describes the hardship along Troost Avenue and what Orthodox communities everywhere can learn from it

Fr. Justin, Hieromonk Alexii (Altschul), and members of the Reconciliation Services team

Father Justin’s ministry is a perfect example of why supporting the education of seminarians is so important: they will be sent out—like Fr. Justin was—to be God’s hands in the world. So when you give to St. Vladimir’s Seminary this Giving Tuesday, you are giving twice: to help train and educate seminarians who will help bring Christ to a suffering world and toward those who are bringing Christ’s healing to others right now at Reconciliation Services. 

Yonkers, NY

Generous donors gave more than $127,000 to support seminarians through St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS)’s 2020 Giving Tuesday campaign. The campaign for Giving Tuesday, which fell on December 1 this year, raised more than $122,000 over the following week, with another $5,000 in pledges expected to arrive in the coming days.

This Giving Tuesday, the Seminary set a goal of raising $125,000—the cost SVOTS faces each year to educate just two of its many seminarians. While the cost to educate each student at St. Vladimir’s is the lowest among the three accredited Orthodox seminaries in North America, the amount still requires a significant amount of funds to be raised for the entire student body every academic year.

• Why does it cost so much to educate one seminarian?

“We are so grateful to everyone who stepped up in such a big way to support seminarians,” said SVOTS President Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield. “It was wonderful to see such generosity in spite of the difficult economic times people are living through.

“With the ongoing shortage of clergy and other vocations in the Orthodox Church in North America, your support for the education and training of future Church leaders at St. Vladimir’s is as important as ever.”

The Seminary is also paying forward some of donors’ generosity. Every year, SVOTS selects a nonprofit partner for Giving Tuesday and tithes 10% of whatever is raised to that partner. In 2020, SVOTS partnered with Reconciliation Services in Kansas City, MO, led by St. Vladimir’s Alumnus Fr. Justin Mathews (Class of ’07).

Saint Vladimir’s Seminary is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and is not funded by any church institution or by the government. The Seminary relies on the generosity of donors each year to raise funds to operate the Seminary and train seminarians.

To make a donation to St. Vladimir’s Seminary at any time, visit SVOTS.edu.

Yonkers, NY

A team of Saint Vladimir’s Seminarians took part in a two-day, virtual mission trip in December to assist the Orthodox Diocese of Gulu and Eastern Uganda.

The student-led St Innocent Mission Society had made plans last year to travel to Uganda as part of a mission team. But the pandemic forced the Society to pivot, volunteering as part of a virtual team this winter. The team, organized by the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC), included seminarians from St. Vladimir’s and Holy Cross (Brookline, MA) seminaries as well as lay people from various parishes.

The mission team joined participants in Uganda via Zoom

His Grace, Bishop Silvestros of Eastern and Northern Uganda proposed topics for the team, with the focus on youth leadership, and coordinated with thirty youth leaders in the Diocese of Gulu. On December 5 and 6, the virtual mission team offered multiple sessions each day for clergy and laity in the diocese via Zoom.

The first session December 5 focused on the question “What does it mean to follow Christ?” with a group of laypeople and clergy, including a team of twelve who joined from Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Jinja, a city in the Eastern Region of Uganda, and Alumnus Fr. Simon Menya (’18).

Saint Vladimir’s Seminarian Gaelan (Anthony) Gilbert, PhD, led another session on “the shocking things Christ did on earth.”

The Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ clearly take the cake as the most unexpected and impactful events,” said Gilbert, “but we also were able to openly discuss the challenging teachings of Jesus, the moments where we see our Lord's righteous anger or grief, and most of all His compassion for the suffering.

St. Vladimir’s Seminarians Philip McClanahan (pictured) and Dr. Gaelan Gilbert led sessions during the two-day virtual mission trip.

“It was a blessing for me to be involved in this OCMC virtual team to Uganda,” he added.

The mission team’s work will continue to serve as a resource for the Diocese of Gulu. All sessions were recorded, and Bishop Silvestros plans to use the videos in local communities and universities for Orthodox people and inquirers.

Yonkers, NY

Saint Ia Rides a Leaf, a board book for children, is now available from St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press. SVS Press has published a number of children’s books over its history, but Saint Ia Rides a Leaf is the Press’s first in a board book format.

The book tells a charming story from the life of St. Ia, an Irish missionary to England in the fifth or sixth century. The town and parish of St. Ives in Cornwall, England, are named for her, and she is commemorated on February 3 in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Join St. Ia and her animal friends on an adventure to spread the Gospel!

To celebrate the book’s launch, SVS Press is also offering a free download of sheet music for “Saint Ia’s Song” on its website. This original song is written for children to sing along to as they read about St. Ia! 

• Buy Saint Ia Rides a Leaf at SVSPress.com or by calling 1-800-204-BOOK (2665)

About the Author and Illustrator
Melinda Johnson is an Orthodox Christian, wife, and mother. She loves writing for children and has authored several books, including the Sam and Saucer series.

Kristina Tartara is an Orthodox mother, children's book author, and illustrator. She has illustrated several books and also created the board books What Do You See at Liturgy and What Can I Do at Divine Liturgy.

In Memoriam

With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of Archpriest Ernesto Rios, 79, who fell asleep in the Lord on December 15, 2020. Father Ernesto died of pneumonia after contracting COVID-19.

Father Ernesto was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on January 28, 1941. His family moved to New York City, where he would eventually attend Eckerd College and serve in the Air Force. During this time he married his wife, Marta Gladys (Rosado). He would work as an air-traffic controller after leaving the Air Force. 

Raised as a Roman Catholic, Fr. Ernesto converted to the Orthodox Faith and attended St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) from 1978-79. He was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in 1979 by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius at St. Andrew Church in Dix Hills, NY, where he briefly served.

In 1980, Fr. Ernesto was installed as rector of St. James the Apostle Church in Port St. Lucie, FL, by His Eminence, Archbishop Dimitri. His work expanded the community, and they moved from a small geocentric sanctuary to beautiful facilities completed in 2011. In 1995, Fr. Ernesto was appointed as the dean of the South Florida Deanery. Father Ernesto served at St. James for thirty-three years and was loved and respected by a diverse congregation including many converts to the Orthodox faith. He retired in 2014 but continued to serve the Church tirelessly, traveling from Port St. Lucie over 200 miles to Pine Key to help plant a mission church there. After a hurricane wiped out Pine Key, he continued to serve as a fill-in priest for the various Orthodox jurisdictions of South Florida.

 “Father Ernesto had a ‘bigger than life’ personality and a warmth of soul, depth of compassion, and joy that radiated the beauty of Christ and the Kingdom,” said Diocese of the South Chancellor Fr. Marcus Burch (SVOTS Class of ’97). “He embraced all those whom he met with the fullness of that joy. He will be missed.”

Father Ernesto will be remembered for his warm affection, kindness, sense of humor, and selfless love which he had for his spiritual children and all who came across his path. He labored tirelessly for over thirty years, building up his beloved St. James the Apostle Orthodox Church and faithfully serving God in the Orthodox Church of America.

He is survived by his wife, Madracita Martha, three sons, one daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  

The Burial Service for a Priest will take place Friday, December 18 at 7 p.m. at St. James the Apostle Church, Port St. Lucie, FL. His Eminence, Archbishop Alexander will preside at the Divine Liturgy on Saturday, December 19 at 10 a.m. Both services will be live-streamed on the parish’s Facebook page.

May the memory of Archpriest Ernesto be eternal!

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(This article was adapted from OCA.org) 

This spring, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary will host a delegation from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) as the Seminary seeks to reaffirm its accreditation status. The ATS Commission on Accreditation (COA) will make a comprehensive evaluation visit April 12-15, 2021 in order to verify that the school meets all applicable Commission Standards of Accreditation.  

As part of the evaluation process, ATS invites members of the public to submit comments regarding how well the school meets those standards and/or generally demonstrates educational quality. Comments may sent to the ATS Director of Commission Information Services at least two weeks prior to the visit via email to accrediting@ats.edu or by calling 412-788-6505. Comments may also be sent in writing to St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, 575 Scarsdale Road, Yonkers, NY 10707 (ATTN: Ann Sanchez). All comments will be shared with the onsite evaluation committee. 

The comprehensive evaluation visit will be followed by a COA review for reaffirmation of accreditation in June 2021. The Seminary’s current period of accreditation expires July 31, 2021.

Saint Vladimir's Seminary is currently “Accredited in Good Standing,” meaning the school meets all applicable COA Standards of Accreditation. The school demonstrates educational quality and financial stability and provides evidence that its student learning outcomes are appropriate, rigorous, and being achieved. The Seminary also has no public sanctions (notation/warning, probation, or show cause), and is approved to offer four degrees: Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Arts (M.A.), and Master of Theology (Th.M.).

Saint Vladimir’s has been accredited by ATS since 1973. The school’s accreditation was last reaffirmed in February 2014, based on an institutional self-study report and an onsite evaluation visit by a committee of peer and public reviewers. 

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(Note: New guidelines for accrediting visits conducted during the current health crisis allow for visits either to be postponed or to be conducted entirely virtually with a follow-up visit in-person when it is reasonable and safe to do so.)

Yonkers, NY

A choir from St. Vladimir’s Seminary participated in the virtual concert, Christmas Across the Continent: An Evening of Lessons and Carols, Saturday, December 19.

The concert was a joint production between Ancient Faith Radio and Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, East Meadow, NY. It featured pre-recorded performances by singers from St. Vladimir’s, St. Tikhon’s, Holy Trinity, and Holy Cross Orthodox seminaries; St. Michael’s Orthodox Church (Louisville, Kentucky); and the ensemble, Psaltikon (based in Massachusetts). The male choir from St. Vladimir’s, directed by Harrison Russin, included Seminarians Dn. John Black, Nicholas Fong, Bogdan Manga, Blake Cohen, Steven Roberts, Nicholas Fine, and Mark Sultani.

Saint Vladimir’s Seminary participated in “Lessons and Carols” concerts with Holy Trinity, East Meadow, in previous years, including in 2019. The format is modeled on the 1918 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge, still held to this day.

Watch the entirety of Christmas Across the Continent below.